Nava (thumb) has yet to swing a bat, the Boston Globe reports.

Manager John Farrell said an MRI confirmed a contusion "in the muscle in the left hand, and that's up from the thumb toward the palm area." Nava will continue to get treatment and do more strengthening, but there's no timetable for when Nava he'll begin swinging a bat.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava has yet to swing a bat while recovering from a thumb injury, according to the Boston Globe.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava has yet to swing a bat while recovering from a thumb injury, according to the Boston Globe. Nava underwent an MRI on his hand that confirmed the contusion, and while has has yet to progress to swinging, manager John Farrell said he is not worried that the injury will keep the 32-year-old sidelined for an extended period. "We didn’t find anything out in [Nava’s] exam to say this is going to be longer than we first thought and that’s why we need to go get another outfielder," Farrell said. "There’s inflammation that’s going on there that they’re still trying to calm down and heal. So he’s going through treatment, some strengthening. I don’t have a date to put a bat back in his hand.” There is no official word as to when Nava will be able to swing again.

Nava was placed on the 15-day DL because of a sprained thumb, which he has been playing through for a while, CSN New England's Sean McAdam reports.

It's possible the sprained thumb has become too difficult to play through, but it may also be the case that the Red Sox just want the struggling Nava to take some time off to get back to 100 percent. Either way, Nava will likely return to a crowded outfield situation, especially if Shane Victorino (calf) makes a quick recovery and can actually stay healthy for a little bit.

Nava will be placed on the 15-day DL Thursday, WEEI.com's John Tomase reports.

There is no official injury that has been announced by the Red Sox at this point, but given how bad Nava has been, the team was likely looking for any excuse to open up a roster spot via removing him from the 25-man roster. He is hitting .159 and slugging .190 so far this season, and his days as a member of the Red Sox may be nearing an end. Carlos Peguero will help serve as outfield depth for the foreseeable future.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava will be placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday due to an undisclosed injury, according to WEEI.com.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava will be placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday due to an undisclosed injury, according to WEEI.com. Nava, who has a .159 batting average in 63 at-bats this season, will be replaced on the roster by pitcher Robbie Ross.

Nava entered Friday night's game as a replacement for the injured Hanley Ramirez (hand) in left field. He went 0-for-2, including a double-play ground out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

Nava's hitting just .167 and he doesn't get enough at-bats to find a groove at the plate. In sporadic playing time over the past month, Nava has four hits and 10 strikeouts in his last 35 at-bats. With the Red Sox struggling on offense, we wonder how long they can afford to carry Nava.

Nava went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's win over Oakland.

Nava, who got the start at first base, snapped an 0-for-20 skid, which had extended over three weeks, with a second-inning single. With Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino back in the lineup, Nava's opportunities will be limited. He has become the team's primary backup at first base now that Allen Craig is at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Nava is not in the lineup Monday against the Rays, Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston reports.

Nava returned to the lineup Sunday after being held out three straight games, but he'll give way to Brock Holt, who will start in right field and bat seventh in his stead.

Nava started at first base Tuesday night in place of Mike Napoli (illness). He went 0-for-3 with a walk.

Napoli has missed two games because of the illness and is expected to miss another couple of days. That gives Nava or Allen Craig an opportunity for some at-bats, depending on the handedness of the pitcher. With right-hander R.A. Dickey scheduled to start Wednesday, we expect the lefty-swinging Nava to start again.

Nava started in left field in place of the resting Hanley Ramirez and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Saturday's win over the Yankees.

Through five games, Nava's found his way into three of them. He has four hits and four RBI the last two games.

Nava went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Friday night's 19-inning win over the Yankees.

Nava's started twice in the first four games, replacing Shane Victorino in right field. His left-handed bat should get him in the lineup two-to-three times per week.

Nava went 0-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday night's loss to the Phillies.

Nava made his season debut, replacing Shane Victorino in right field, because Philadelphia started right-hander Aaron Harang. The Red Sox lineup favors right-handed batters and any chance manager John Farrell has to get the left-handed hitting Nava into the lineup, he will. This is not a strict platoon, but early on we expect Farrell to take it easy on Victorino, who had surgery on his back last year.

Nava will start in right field and bat sixth for the Red Sox on Tuesday, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Nava could be part of a soft platoon with Shane Victorino, as Nava's splits favor right-handed pitching and Victorino's favor south paws, but nothing is set in stone at this point. Another explanation could be that Victorino ran into the wall during Tuesday's game, and something developed overnight. Regardless, Nava will start in right field Wednesday, sending Victorino to the bench.

Nava went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI in Sunday's game against Philadelphia.

Nava should make the Opening Day roster as a backup, but stands out because he's a left-handed hitter on a team with a lot of righties and has some position versatility.

Nava batted lefthanded against a lefty pitcher during Boston's spring training camp against Boston College.

Nava, who struck out and grounded out, is experimenting with hitting from the left side exclusively.

Nava has been hitting exclusively from the left side of the plate during spring training, the Providence Journal reports.

This is something Nava flirted with during the offseason, when took some left-on-left at-bats against pitchers at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. He's a .293 hitter with a .385 on-base percentage from the left side in the majors, but has hit just .209/.287 as a right-handed batter. With Boston's right-leaning lineup, being an effective left-handed bat, coupled with position versatility, should improve Nava's chances for at-bats and playing time.

Nava's ability to hit from the left-hand side of the plate in a right-leaning lineup should secure a bench role for him this season, the Boston Herald reports.

The additions of Hanley Ramirez and Rusney Castillo, plus the emergence of Mookie Betts means Nava is competing for a bench role. Since adding first base to his defensive resume, Nava makes himself more useful to manager John Farrell, who sees his left-handed bat as a "great complement." Nava has a career .813 OPS against right-handed pitchers.

Nava agreed to a one-year, $1.85 million contract with the Red Sox to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Nava is part of a crowded outfield, but it's still possible the Red Sox will swing another trade before the start of the season. If not, Nava may have a hard time earning regular playing time, even against right-handed pitching. He mentioned earlier in the offseason that he's thinking about giving up switch-hitting, but it's unclear whether he will actually make the change. Either way, Nava doesn't figure to see many plate appearances against southpaws.

Nava is giving thought to no longer switch-hitting, WEEI.com reports.

Nava owns a .293/.385/.428 career slash line as a left-handed hitter, compared to a dismal .209/.287/.298 line from the right side of the plate. Of course, it's been a long time since he tried to hit a left-handed pitcher from the left side, so he may just stick to switch-hitting. Either way, Nava is part of a logjam in the Boston outfield, with Hanley Ramirez and Rusney Castillo seemingly locked into starting jobs, while Nava, Allen Craig, Shane Victorino (back) and Mookie Bets are all candidates to see significant playing time. Nava will likely work in a part-time role that rarely requires him to face left-handed pitching.

The Red Sox will tender Nava a contract, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Nava saw his production decline dramatically in a reduced role last season, with his OPS falling more than 120 points from 2013 (from .830 to .707), but the Red Sox still got well more than their money's worth from the 31-year-old ($556,500). Given the logjam of outfielders in Boston, Nava seems unlikely to see an increase in opportunities in 2015 (barring a trade), but he has strong on-base skills and certainly a good amount of real-life value in a reserve role.